Ivy Farm and Finnebrogue Partner to Bring Cultivated Wagyu Beef to the UK  

Cultivated meat company Ivy Farm Technologies and UK food producer Finnebrogue have announced what they claim is a “world-first” partnership to develop and sell cultivated Wagyu beef burgers in the UK — once cultivated meat gets the regulatory green light.

The collaboration aims to address the growing demand for meat with a sustainable alternative. Finnebrogue, renowned for its artisan pork products, will explore Ivy Farm’s cultivated process, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of meat production since it does not require land or animal agriculture. 

Diversifying protein production

Jago Pearson, CSO at Finnebrogue, says: “Our task is always to make food that is nutritious, delicious and sustainable for food-loving consumers up and down the land – and so we are excited to strike a partnership with Ivy Farm that will allow us to explore the future potential of cultivated meat.”

Ivy Farm is a spin-off of Oxford University that claims to have developed an innovative technology to cultivate meat. The company owns a state-of-the-art R&D facility and pilot plant in Oxford and has announced plans to build its first manufacturing plant (to be located overseas) to accelerate production. The new Wagyu burgers will join Ivy Farm’s product range, including British pork and Aberdeen Angus beef.

Finnebrogue’s Wagyu beef burgers were named the country’s best burger of the year by Which? magazine in 2022. The company is also popular for its range of pork sausages. In 2020 Finnebrogue expanded to the plant-based category launching a facility and its brand, Better Naked.

“Ivy Farm will cultivate wagyu beef from cells derived from the herd we keep on our Finnebrogue Estate in County Down, Northern Ireland. In time, we are excited to help realise the potential this may bring in producing sustainable food that can feed a growing global population,” Pearson adds.

Sustainable meat

Cultivating Wagyu beef involves taking cells from Finnebrogue’s herd, deriving a cell line, and growing them at Ivy Farm’s 18,000 sq. ft. facility in Oxford. Ivy Farm’s team is already cultivating cells from Finnebrogue’s cattle, announced the British biotech.

Rich Dillon, CEO at Ivy Farm, comments: “Appetite from consumers for sustainable and delicious meat has never been higher. This new collaboration with Finnebrogue showcases how cultivated meat can work with traditional farming, helping to reduce the pressure on producers to intensify operations to meet growing demand, while boosting consumer choice. In Finnebrogue we have found a partner who has a long history and track record of producing premium products that do not compromise on taste and quality.

“Cultivated meat is sometimes called cellular agriculture. Ivy Farm grows cells from animals in large fermentation tanks in order to produce real meat that has a healthy nutritional profile and a more sustainable greenhouse gas footprint.”

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